Former state Rep. Mike Smith remembered as ‘good soul’

CANTON — Longtime friends and political colleagues from both sides of the aisle spent Saturday recalling “a good soul” — hardworking, even-tempered, kind lawmaker who died too soon.

Former state Rep. Mike Smith, D-Canton, died overnight Friday at age 48 of a heart attack.

The longtime state lawmaker, who left the Legislature in 2011 after a 16-year career and then served on the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, will be “remembered as one of the truly nice guys in the Legislature,” onetime colleague Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, said Saturday afternoon.

“Everybody was his friend,” he said. “He just had that kind of personality and that kind of charm.”

Moreover, Smith was “very knowledgeable about the political system and knew how to get things done,” Koehler said, recalling working with him in 2009 on the state capital construction

bill to include local projects in the district that includes parts of Fulton, Tazewell and Peoria counties.

The end result, which Koehler said owed as much credit to Smith as anybody, included funds that led to the resurrection of East Peoria’s downtown into the new Levee District as well as the reconstruction of Veterans Drive in Pekin, as well as a host of projects in Fulton County.

Lots to learn

The Canton native and Bradley University graduate chaired the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee in the House during his service and worked on numerous education-related issues.

Alan Coleman — a former teacher of Smith’s who coached his high school Model United Nations team before going on to serve as the regional education superintendent in Fulton County — recalled Smith’s interest in the topic as well as his forthrightness.

“He was pretty honest about where that nonfunding of the (Teachers Retirement System) was hitting” even after early pension reform efforts in the 1990s, he said.

Lifelong friend Marty Green — active in Republican politics for many years — said Smith was insistent on getting to the meat of issues, especially education.

“He really wanted to look at the disparities in education funding for smaller downstate school districts and how their budgets were being pinched in the state aid they were getting,” he said. “Michael was the type of guy who just didn’t ... introduce (bills) just to introduce them.”

U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, who represented a neighboring state House district for four years, highlighted Smith’s focus on those issues.

“He was a tireless advocate for downstate parity in the school funding formulas,” he said.

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan praised his dedication to both his district and to education.

“No one worked more tirelessly on behalf of our schoolchildren than Mike Smith,” he said Saturday afternoon. “Mike Smith always had a very keen interest in looking after the well-being of Canton and central Illinois.”

Fire focus

With a district that included significant swaths of countryside, Smith was also keen on his work to improve services from rural fire departments.

Even the firefighters who responded to Smith’s home with medical personnel on Saturday morning were speaking about his contributions, longtime friend Tony Rolando said.

That was always with an eye toward “understanding the needs of rural fire departments and the strain that was put on them with tight budgets and the need to answer calls,” Green said.

That led to him working with Rep. Don Moffitt, R-Gilson, on a number of issues. At a holiday reception at the Itoo Hall one year, the two bemoaned the lack of long-term planning and brainstormed a commission on fire protection funding that held 22 meetings around the state.

Legislation that came out of that included the popular interest-free revolving loan fund for new fire trucks, grants for smaller equipment and an ongoing equipment exchange through the office of the State Fire Marshal.

“Illinois is a safer state because of his service and because of his desire to improve fire protection,” Moffitt said.

‘He did his homework’

After losing his 2010 re-election race to Mike Unes, Smith decided he still had something to offer to government and applied to serve on a state commission. Gov. Pat Quinn named him to the Educational Labor Relations Board — a controversial decision that some claimed was political payback and others questioned Smith’s qualifications for.

But he dove into the work, sometimes sharing vignettes of cases with Green — while keeping identities private.

“It always amazed me the level of detail he was able to absorb from reading motions on things that were before the board,” Green said. “True to form, he did his homework ... he enjoyed the work on that board and found it very interesting.”

That made it all the sweeter for him to be reappointed recently.

“He called me the other night and was so excited that Gov. Quinn had just reappointed him to that board for another six years,” Rolando, an official at the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, said. “He enjoyed that.”

A nice guy

Others who worked alongside him recalled Smith for his kindness.

“You never were going to get a cross word out of him, and you seldom would get a negative word out of him,” Peoria County Democratic Party Chairman Billy Halstead said.

“He was just a good soul,” Rolando agreed. “He loved his community and loved being part of it. He really loved being a legislator.”

Unes, an East Peoria Republican who succeeded Smith in the Legislature, seconded the sentiments of Smith as a giving person.

“I always found Mike to be a kind, caring man who cared deeply about public service,” Unes said Saturday. “His service to our region will not be forgotten.”

Smith welcomed hearing input from voters, too.

“He always had a smile on his face, always welcomed (you as a constituent) to hear your cause,” Alan Coleman said. “I think he loved politics. He did a good job representing us.”

His dedication to his work was what stuck with people even at the highest levels of government.

“Mike Smith set an example for what service to the people of his district and the people of Illinois should be,” Gov. Pat Quinn said. “Our thoughts are with his family and numerous friends who may be comforted by his legacy of service.”

Smith is survived by his wife Donna, mother Betty and two older sisters.